I've had a varied career in surveying. My first job in the area of surveying was as a "Surveyor's Assistant" on a sweep raft on the St. Mary's River in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, aka "the Soo." We located and charted obstructions to shipping in the channels below the Soo Locks. Of course, this was completely unlike land surveying; the Surveyor used a sextant to fix our position by sighting permanent targets along the shore of the river. This was shortly after High School in the mid 60's and lasted about six months, as I recall.
(Time out for the late 60's)
My next experience came in San Jose, California, when some people from the County of Santa Clara came to the drafting class I was attending as part of a work furlough program from the Elmwood Rehabilitation Center (jail). They wanted a couple of nice young people to train as Engineering Aides on County survey crews. For unknown reasons, they chose me, so after I was released I became a full time employee and spent nine good years in the field learning all the neat stuff; also many City College classes in trig, etc. EDMs and calculators with square root keys were introduced during my tenure there.
Migrated to the Mother Lode, got licensed, worked for strange and several eccentric individualists including myself (I was solo when solo wasn't cool (or easy)).
(Years go by)
Now I work for the Tuolumne County Surveyor's Office. I check maps. There are less than a dozen active surveyors in the county and most of them are solo or almost so. Except for one very professional firm, no one checks their maps except for me. They count on me to do what they should be doing themselves and don't complain very much at all. I've worked for or with most of them anyway and they trust me. I also provide a whipping boy service: "It would have been done sooner but it's hung up at the dam County!" Don't tell me you haven't used that one.
Fees are reasonable, flat, not hourly. We mostly get along...
Don Blameuser, PLS 5253
Sonora, California
I live in Groveland
I provide similar services in five counties. I tend to be rather generous, yet picky on a short, but important, list of concerns. In three of the counties, the service is provided at no charge to the surveyor for a standard survey. In the other two, $50 for a standard survey. In two counties, large subdivision reviews are provided at no charge to the surveyor. In the other three, it depends on the complexity, but, no more than $300. The large subdivision plats are normally very close to perfect. The sloppiness is usually found with the standard surveys.
Prior - Do you figure none of those surveyors would visit this board and hear you talking about them or you and they both know that they are slackers?
I got a call from a surveyor the other day to ask me if I wanted a job in Angels Camp. I said no because I don't know diddly about Angels Camp. I realize that's in Calaveras County, not Tuolumne but do you know who the Angels Camp expert would be that I could refer this job to? Thanks.
> I live in Groveland
Home of PJ's, my preferred lunch spot on the way to and from Tuolumne Meadows every summer. It ain't elegant, but for some reason I feel at home there.
Steve
I've said nothing here that I haven't said face to face. Everybody knows everybody and there's no hard feelings.
As to Angels Camp: There is only one surveying firm in town that I'm aware of, Mother Lode Engineering, although most surveyors in Calaveras have experience there, which, if you are in the townsite, is absolutely necessary. Sierra engineering might be a good choice also. I've worked for both.
When was the last time you were, Jim. It's changed some since PJ no longer owns it. It's mostly Cisco food but the ambience is definitely small town, and that's nice.
I've only worked in Tuolumne County once (Columbia).
I did some research at the Recorder's Office which was cool because they have the actual old books in the public area; you don't have to ruin your eyesight trying to read microfilm.
Townsites can be difficult. The story from my former employer was a former Surveyor there (about 1970) set a bunch of lot corners by bearing and distance from a single point and got the whole town in an uproar about it. Those Townsites were surveys of occupation and often very small lots misclose by large amounts. Management made him pull all his monuments (to calm the natives) and he retired no too long after that.
Dave
You may not recall but I met you in our office when you were working on that job. I mispronounced your name and you corrected me:-)
> When was the last time you were, Jim. It's changed some since PJ no longer owns it. It's mostly Cisco food but the ambience is definitely small town, and that's nice.
I was last there in August. We've been spending a week or so in Tuolumne Meadows every summer since 2000, and Groveland is about the midway point, time-wise, between TM and our house in Davis. PJ's is our lunch spot coming and going. It's not gourmet dining -- friends and relatives think I'm nuts to keep going back there -- but there's something about the place that I find very comforting.
Dave
Hwy 49! One of the other great treasures of a road in California. Gold Country. Been there quite a few times and camped out nearby. Calaveras Big Trees SP not too far away. Neither is Yosemite.
The little berg of Glory Hole always gives me a chuckle when I cruise through...
But I know it's gold mining related....